The FCC priority filing window eligibility rules for tribes seeking spectrum licenses in the 2.5 GHz educational broadband service band wrongly exclude native Hawaiians even though Hawaiian home lands qualify as rural tribal lands, the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs said in a docket 18-120 posting Monday. It said the eligibility rule should be revised in consultation with native Hawaiians before the window opens.

Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., led filing the Closing the Homework Gap Through Mobile Hotspots Act. HR-5253 would create a $100 million NTIA grant program to fund purchasing mobile hot spots through FY 2025. Schools, libraries, U.S. territories and federally recognized tribal governments could apply. Those that “will provide hotspot devices to the highest number of low-income students” will be prioritized. At least 5 percent would go to tribal governments and another 5 percent to territories and Washington, D.C. “My bill is simple and does not require investing funds in developing new technologies to close the ‘homework gap,’” Meng said Monday. “Instead, it builds on and expands existing infrastructures.” Students “can ‘check-out’ these mobile hotspots from their schools or local libraries,” Meng said. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel praised HR-5253, saying it will “help children get online, do research, learn new ideas, download assignments, and communicate with their teachers.” The American Library Association, National Digital Inclusion Alliance and National Education Association back the bill.

Rep. Grace Meng, D-N.Y., led filing the Closing the Homework Gap Through Mobile Hotspots Act. HR-5253 would create a $100 million NTIA grant program to fund purchasing mobile hot spots through FY 2025. Schools, libraries, U.S. territories and federally recognized tribal governments could apply. Those that “will provide hotspot devices to the highest number of low-income students” will be prioritized. At least 5 percent would go to tribal governments and another 5 percent to territories and Washington, D.C. “My bill is simple and does not require investing funds in developing new technologies to close the ‘homework gap,’” Meng said Monday. “Instead, it builds on and expands existing infrastructures.” Students “can ‘check-out’ these mobile hotspots from their schools or local libraries,” Meng said. FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel praised HR-5253, saying it will “help children get online, do research, learn new ideas, download assignments, and communicate with their teachers.” The American Library Association, National Digital Inclusion Alliance and National Education Association back the bill.

Report ISPs are deploying broadband to all Americans "in a reasonable and timely fashion," industry told the FCC in comments posted through Monday in docket 19-285 on a notice of inquiry for the 15th annual Communications Act Section 706 report (see 1910230065). Critics said the last report overstated broadband deployment (see 1905290017).

Report ISPs are deploying broadband to all Americans "in a reasonable and timely fashion," industry told the FCC in comments posted through Monday in docket 19-285 on a notice of inquiry for the 15th annual Communications Act Section 706 report (see 1910230065). Critics said the last report overstated broadband deployment (see 1905290017).

The 90-day notice period and 60-day priority application filing window for tribes to seek spectrum licenses in the 2.5 GHz educational broadband service band are too short, five Democratic members of the House Commerce Committee said in a letter Tuesday to the FCC. Tribal groups raised similar concerns (see 1910180068). Chairman Frank Pallone, New Jersey, and Communications Chairman Mike Doyle, Pennsylvania, plus Reps. Ben Ray Lujan of New Mexico, Tom O’Halleran of Arizona and Raul Ruiz of California signed the letter. “If the FCC sincerely wants to provide tribes and tribal organizations with this opportunity, then it must give them a meaningful opportunity to participate,” the members wrote: “You made it clear that providing a priority window for tribes and tribal organizations was an important step toward helping these communities, and now we urge you to follow through on that promise by giving them enough time to take advantage of it.”

Reducing barriers to telemedicine is among recommendations of four FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee reports released Thursday. Direct state emergency alert system plans to involve social media protocols that include the specific local entities that will issue messages, and the contents of such messages, IAC asked. Barriers to telemedicine include limited technical support in rural hospitals, physician concerns over reimbursement, and complexities of credentialing and privileging for telecare providers, the group reported. There are “valuable insights and recommendations that will help inform the work of the FCC and that of our state, local, Tribal, and territorial government partners,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai.

Different levels of government should improve coordination in emergencies and reduce barriers to telemedicine, the FCC Intergovernmental Advisory Committee reported, released Thursday. IAC covers delivering multilingual emergency alerts to people who speak in different languages or have communication disabilities, improving communications among state, local, tribal and territorial government on emergency alerting system procedures, enhancing coordination for disaster resiliency efforts, and reducing regulatory barriers to telemedicine. There are “valuable insights and recommendations that will help inform the work of the FCC and that of our state, local, Tribal, and territorial government partners,” said FCC Chairman Ajit Pai. The FCC should develop “non-language-oriented” alerts based on symbols and colors to address the current paucity of multilingual emergency alerts and alerts intended for those with disabilities, said the multilingual alerting report. “Use of universal colors, symbols and sounds takes the language barrier out of the equation.” IAC suggested that state emergency communication committee alerting plans include reaching non-English speakers and the disabled. To prevent and minimize the repercussions of incidents such as the January 2018 false missile alert in Hawaii, SECCs should require state, local, tribal and territorial (SLTT) governments to regularly hold annual meetings of their emergency managers, said another report. The FCC should consider formalizing requirements that states document such meetings, the report said. Direct state EAS plans to involve social media protocols that include the specific SLTT entities that will issue messages, and the contents of such messages, it said. The FCC should update rules to require SECCs adopt recommendations from the agency’s report on the Hawaii incident to deal with and prevent false alerts, the document recommended. Those include changes to software to separate tests from real alerts, redundant lines of communication, and protocols for handling false alerts. Best practice “is to actually plan and coordinate with each other on a regular basis during ... normal, non-emergency, working conditions,” the disaster resiliency report said: Locate critical communications facilities and access roads and make recovery crews aware of critical lines to avoid damage. Wireless providers should set up roaming agreements in advance of disasters, and more work is needed to ensure public safety communications interoperability, it said. Barriers to telemedicine include limited technical support in rural hospitals, physician concerns over reimbursement, and complexities of credentialing and privileging for telecare providers, the IAC reported.

The FCC reauthorized the Intergovernmental Advisory Committee for two years and seeks nominations for membership in the federal, state, local and tribal governmental group by Dec. 6, said a public notice Wednesday.

More should be done to promote broadband competition, reported Jonathan Sallet, Benton Institute for Broadband & Society senior fellow, on broadband for the 2020s. He said Wednesday states should repeal laws that restrict localities from broadband deployment or Congress should pre-empt them. Federal funding designed to avoid overbuilding ISP networks confuse well-being of competitors with consumers, he said: Those most likely having limited broadband competition are rural, or with median household incomes below $60,000. Sallet cited the National Digital Inclusion Alliance showing pockets of high-poverty neighborhoods in Cleveland, Detroit, Toledo, Dallas and Dayton where incumbent telecoms hadn't deployed fiber. Proposed Lifeline changes to eliminate mobile resellers would effectively end Lifeline broadband access for millions, the report said. Sallet instead recommends schools and libraries be allowed to provide Lifeline, too. Such competition could increase once the national verifier is fully implemented, Sallet suggested. "An even more efficient mechanism would make Lifeline enrollment automatic when people are enrolled in a qualifying federal program." The 150-page footnoted document acknowledged a persistent problem of areas unserved by broadband, saying the executive branch should establish an Office of Broadband Coordination for Tribal Lands.